| Cathedral
State Park, WV |
Dale
J. Luthringer |
| Sep
24, 2003 06:49 PDT |
| Cathedral
State Park, WV |
Dale
J. Luthringer |
|
Sep
26, 2003 20:08 PDT |
Bob,
Will, et. al.,
I was able to spend a bit of time Friday in Cathedral State Park
in West
Virginia. The steep meandering drive along RT50 over the
mountain tops
revealed incredible vistas of this absolutely gorgeous section
of the
state. Cathedral State Park is located in the extreme
Northeastern part
of West Virginia about 5 miles from the Maryland border. RT 50
runs
right through the site. Park literature states the site is 133
acres.
A website that I sent earlier stated that there was an E.
hemlock there
at >21ft CBH x >120ft high. It even showed a picture of a
large double
hemlock on the site. I walked almost every trail in this site
and was
not able to find any large double hemlock, let alone any tree
that came
close to ~21ft CBH. I wouldn't be surprised if someone messed up
the
stats on this website. Bob, weren't you here before? If so, what
was
your take of the area?
The biggest tree in the park (according to signage near the
parking area)
is located directly behind the ranger's quarters at the edge of
the
woodline. The tree is impressive, even though it was no way near
~21ft
CBH. It is definitely the largest single stem hemlock I have had
the
pleasure of viewing. They have built a ~20'x20' deck platform
around it
which stands about 4-5ft off the ground. The tree has a massive
CBH at
~16.2ft. The height wasn't significant though at 94.3ft. They
named
the tree the 'Centennial Hemlock'. The rangers told me it was
struck by
lightning. Part of the top is dieing off, but the rest of the
tree
appears solid. A sign at the platform put the tree at ~120ft and
being
~20ft higher before the lightning strike. There is no way this
tree was
ever 140ft in the last 100 years.
The website stated that most of the site as "virgin hemlock
and hardwood
forest" and the "last virgin forest in the
state". Hemlock are very old
here showing an impressive gnarl factor. I wouldn't doubt that
there
could be a good number of hemlock in the 400-600 year age class.
I did
note an old logslide (now an eroded hiking trail) that went
through and
exited out the north end of the park. There were some old N. red
oak,
white oak, black cherry, red maple, Am. beech, and black birch
here, but
not very many. The oldest oak, cherry, and maple specimens had
defects
in them from long ago. I'm suspecting that they left them from a
past
select cut that occurred on the edges of this site. I didn't
find any
very old high quality oak, black cherry, or maple here.
The best part of the old growth was in the middle of the site
along the
stream bed. This portion was definitely primary
"virgin" forest. It
reminded me of the ancient hemlock of the Cataloochie with a
thick
rhododendron understory. I didn't have time to search the old
growth
south of RT50 though... 1 more hour of sampling time probably
would've
covered it. It was an impressive site for gnarly hemlock.
Literature stated that they had trees in the site that
approached 100ft.
Most trees didn't go over 100ft, but I was able to pull out one
130ft
class hemlock adjacent to the creek in the best section of the
primary
forest, and some other species in the 100ft and 110ft class. The
day's
tally as follows:
Species CBH Height Comments
Am. beech 7.5 101.6
Black birch 8.8 96.1+ >150
years
Black cherry 8.8 96.1+
Black cherry 8.2 111.3
Black cherry 11.4 113.7 >200
years
E. hemlock 13.1 N/A snag
E. hemlock 16.2 94.3 'Centennial
Hemlock' 39 19.605N x
79 32.032W
E. hemlock N/A 105.4
E. hemlock 11.3 106.3
E. hemlock N/A 107.4
E. hemlock 9.9 108.6
E. hemlock 12.3 111.2 new
12x100 class
E. hemlock 11.3 112
E. hemlock 9.9 130.3 tallest
in the stand 39
19.613N x 79 32.336W
N. red oak 11.9 100.5 CBH
above burl, very old tree >225
years
Red maple 9.4 84.1+ >175
years
Red maple 8.9 105.6
White oak 10.6 93.3 >200
years
If you were near the area, Cathedral State Park would definitely
make a
nice excursion trip for anyone interested in observing a remnant
old
growth forest stand in West Virginia. I just can't help but
think what
else the state may hold in private property settings. maybe I'll
have to
remember to bring my flack jacket next time.
Dale
|
| Re:
Cathedral State Park, WV |
dbhg-@comcast.net |
| Sep
27, 2003 04:57 PDT |
Dale:
The measurements you site are very close to
the ones I got and slightly
under those that Rick Landenberger got. My girth measurement was
16.5' and that
of Rick about 16.8'. My height measurement was approximately 94
feet. The
measurements for other trees are virtually identical. Great job.
I remember the
12-footer. The light was fading when I was there, so I only
measured hemlock.
But all my observations of the location coincide with yours. I
do also agree
that it is a very worthwhile detour for anyone in the area.
Hey, you were only 3 species shy of a Rucker Index. I think,
extended to 10
species, the index would fall. For 7, it's 105.9.
Bob
|
| RE:
Cathedral State Park, WV |
Dale
J. Luthringer |
| Sep
29, 2003 08:10 PDT |
Bob,
I have to admit that my girth measurement (~16.2') was probably
a bit
low. The sign had it at 16.5' also. I was more inclined to get a
decent height before I lost good lighting. It was the last tree
I
measured that day.
Yes, I think the Rucker Index would fall a bit also. I think
there were
a few yellow birch and white ash in there, but neither were of
remarkable height. The white ash probably just made it to 100',
but I
wouldn't put the yellow birch much higher than 80'. Great
rhododendron
and witch hazel made up most of the understory, but I didn't
spend the
time needed to measure them. I doubt that I'll make a second
trip to
the site any time soon. That was the first time I ever made it
off the
major highways in West Virginia. What a gorgeous state.
Dale
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